Deny
by Dark Ice Dragon
Summary: ·Wing AU· M-21's wing gets injured during a fight.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary** : M-21's wing gets injured during a fight.

Putting this into its own separate post since I've added to it. And I think I'll keep the original fic in the collection post so it doesn't mess with reviews, haha.

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 **Deny  
**

By Dark Ice Dragon

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"I'm f-"

"You are _not_ fine," Takeo cut in, giving M-21 a sharp look.

"Are we really gonna have to give it a tug to prove it?" Tao said, hovering by M-21's other side.

M-21 _growled_ , his ears flattening for a second before he could control them. "I'll heal." He always did.

"Seriously, M," Tao said, hand reaching over. "I'll tug! You'll yelp!"

"Won't." M-21 batted Tao's hand away, gritting his teeth at the wave of pain that washed over him as he moved.

Tao shot him a dry look. "I could put a piece of paper next to your face and you'd be paler."

"We don't know if wings heal the same as our physical bodies," Takeo reminded him and fuck.

"It should."

Tao leaned in, making sure to keep his distance from M-21's wing, almost ripped out from the base. There wasn't any blood, but that didn't mean it didn't feel like someone had shoved in a block of firey metal inside his body and kept it there. "Mmhm, and the last time they were injured was...?"

"...Years ago." Non-modified humans couldn't _see_ the wings and those were who he and M-24 had mostly been in contact after the agent training. His wings had healed, but he'd lost consciousness so for all he knew it was the scientists who'd fixed him up.

" _Fuck_ ," he hissed, his undamaged wing trembling. " _Fine_." He'd taken a bad hit and everything fucking _hurt_.

There was an explosion in the distance, inky black with purple lighting crashing through the sky.

"Iii think Boss found them, heh," Tao said, watching it.

"Good," M-21 grumbled. He was cradled in their arms just before he lost consciousness.

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Written for polyshipprompts' 'Imagine Person A injuring their wing, and Person B and C (and D or whoever else) fussing over their injury. Person A makes it seem like it isn't a big deal, trying to be tough, but in reality, they're in excruciating pain.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary** : Tao paused as he walked down the corridor, seeing the feather lying on the ground, almost innocently enough.

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 **Deny  
**

By Dark Ice Dragon

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Tao paused as he walked down the corridor, seeing the feather lying on the ground, almost innocently enough. It was the length of his forearm, jet black and veined with purple. There was only one person in the house who that could belong to and Tao picked it up, Boss' feather warm to the touch. Which was better than the prickly feeling he'd used to get, before getting Dark Spear. Probably recognising their own. Hopefully.

But that was beside the point.

The point being that a modified human's wings only moulted unless they were under a lot of stress: that had been one of the easy tells in the Union who was a bottom rung agent and those at the top. But seeing how this was about Boss, what was normal in the Union wasn't always normal here. Maybe their wings were supposed to shed every once in a while.

There wasn't a trail of feathers to follow, but Tao went down to the lab, since that was the safest bet where Boss would be.

The lights were still on when he got there and Tao chirped, looking around. There was an answering rustle of feathers to his right and he followed that.

"Boss...?" Tao said, approaching him. Boss' wings were always impressive to look at, arching above his head by two feet, sweeping down to almost brush the floor and able to take up an entire room when he stretched them out. Tao felt like a hummingbird in comparison, his own wings just barely clearing his head and covering his torso. But he'd noticed they were starting to grow, and that had to be because of Boss' help.

"Mm?" Boss didn't look up from the panel he was looking at. Damn.

Time for drastic measures.

Tao drew his aura to his hands and learned forward, pressing them to where Boss' wings met his back.

Boss stilled and Tao kneaded his fingers to the stiff muscles there. The wings shivered, the feathers fluffing out for a second before smoothing out again.

When Boss extended a wing to look at him over his shoulder, Tao grinned. "I think it's time for all good Bosses to go to sleep, don't you?" he said, still massaging. The sun had been starting to rise when he'd looked out the window.

"Yes, but M-21-"

"Is _stable_ now," Tao interrupted. Had been when Tao had went to bed. "He's not gonna dive and I can keep watch while you sleep. _And_ ," he added, seeing Boss opening his mouth, "I will totally tell Raizel-nim if you don't go to sleep." He'd had to bring out his trump card, but he'd had no choice — Boss was _stubborn_.

Boss closed his mouth and then exhaled, a wry smile on his lips. "Very well," he said. "I'll be back in two hours."

"And no sooner!" Tao said, taking his hands back as Boss folded his wing again. "I'll be keeping a timer." He took out his phone and waved it.

"I'll make sure of it," Boss said, still amused.

Tao pulled up a stool once Boss was gone, double-checking M-21's stats as he listened to his breathing. Everything was fine and Tao settled down to keep watch over him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary** :Tao knows the perfect way for M-21 to feel better.

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 **Deny  
**

By Dark Ice Dragon

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M-21 sucked in a breath, his wing still feeling tender and he held it close to him, just in case it got jostled by something. Like Tao, who was dragging him through the house by the hand.

"What-" he said through gritted teeth.

"I know the perfect way for you t' feel better, M," Tao threw over his shoulder, heading down the stairs. "Believe me, it works!"

He'd already been in bed and surrounded by drinks, so it wasn't that. What was downstairs...? Ramen?

Tao went for the living room though, not continuing down to Frankenstein's lab. Tea? He couldn't be intending to drag him _outside_ when he was still recovering.

As soon as Tao stepped into the living room, Tao chirped in greeting at someone and one of M-21's ears twisted down at the sound. He'd never been able to make the same sounds as his comrades and he'd assumed it was because he'd been broken worse than the others that he couldn't communicate in the same way. He knew _now_ why he couldn't but...

There was an answering rustle of feathers and - uh.

"Tao-!" he hissed.

"I told ya, this'll make ya feel better!" Tao said, dragging him closer to Raizel-nim, who was reading a book, not looking up at them. He'd also extended a wing, looking like...

"How-"

" _Trust_ me." Tao guided him to Raizel-nim, making him sit so close to him there was almost no space between them. As soon as Tao stepped away, Raizel-nim curled his wing around M-21.

M-21's wings fluffed at the pressure, then settled and... The embrace was warm. He could also feel a small vibration shivering through Raizel-nim, a soft croon, and M-21 leaned into it without thought.

Tao grinned at him, giving him a thumbs up. "Told ya it would help!"

No snappy retort came to M-21's mind, because it was _true_ ; being held like this, his injury wasn't at the forefront of his mind and he could just drift in the feeling of being held.

Raizel-nim was still reading the manual Frankenstein had made him, and since there was nothing else to do, M-21 was content to read with him.


End file.
